Bruce Cohen

Bruce L. Cohen (born September 23, 1961) is a film, television, and theater producer. He is best known for producing the films American Beauty, Milk, and Silver Linings Playbook. American Beauty won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony.

Early life and education Cohen was born to a Jewish family and raised in Falls Church, Virginia. In 1983, he graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies.

Career

After school, Cohen moved to Los Angeles, where he accepted a clerical job as a Directors Guild of America trainee on Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple, The film, directed by Sam Mendes, won a total of five Oscars, as well as the Golden Globe, British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA), and Producers Guild of America (PGA) awards.

He later earned additional Best Picture nominations for Milk and Silver Linings Playbook. Milk, directed by Gus Van Sant, was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won Oscars for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay, as well as the PGA's Stanley Kramer Award. Silver Linings Playbook, written and directed by David O. Russell, was nominated for eight Oscars. It was the first film in 31 years to be nominated in all four acting categories, with Jennifer Lawrence going on to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

Other films Cohen has produced include Big Fish, directed by Tim Burton, which was nominated for both Golden Globe and BAFTA Best Picture awards. In 2013, he served as lead producer of the stage musical version of Big Fish on Broadway, under the direction and choreography of five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman.

On television, Cohen was executive producer of the ABC series Pushing Daisies, which won a total of seven Emmys and was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Comedy. He was also executive producer of the CBS special Movies Rock. In 2011, he was nominated for an Emmy in 2011 for producing the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

Cohen is on the Board of Governors of the Producer's Guild, having served two terms as vice president of motion pictures, and is on the Executive Committee of the Producers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is president of the board of directors of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the group behind the recently successful Supreme Court case to have California's Proposition 8 declared unconstitutional.

In 2019, Bruce Cohen joined the Advisory Board for the Harlem Film House, which presents the Hip Hop Film Festival, an annual event that focuses on filmmakers from the global culture of hip hop and also promotes financial sustainability for independent filmmakers from marginalized or economically disadvantaged communities.

Personal life

He is married to Gabriel Catone and they have a daughter.

Filmography Cohen was a producer on all films unless otherwise noted:

Film Year Film Credit 1991 Hook Associate producer 1993 Alive Co-producer 1994 The Flintstones 1995 To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar Executive producer 1997 Mouse Hunt 1999 American Beauty 2000 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas 2003 Down with Love Big Fish 2004 The Forgotten 2007 The Nines 2008 Milk 2012 Silver Linings Playbook 2016 Bleed for This 2017 Rebel in the Rye 2023 Ex-Husbands 2023 Rustin We Are Guardians Executive producer 2024 Blink Twice Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said? Stardusk Executive producer

Second unit director or assistant director

Year Film Role 1985 The Color Purple DGA trainee 1987 Cherry 2000 Batteries Not Included Second assistant director 1988 The Couch Trip Satisfaction Cocoon: The Return The Boost 1989 Always 1990 Arachnophobia First assistant director 1991 Hook 2000 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas Second unit director

As an actor

Year Film Role Notes 1999 American Beauty Bartender

Script and continuity department

Year Film Role Notes 1994 The Flintstones Script revision

Thanks

Year Film Role 2000 Mothman The producers wish to thank 2022 To Leslie Special thanks

Television Year Title Credit Notes 1996 Centennial Olympic Games: Torch Relay Opening Ceremonies Television special Mistrial Television film 2005 Hate Executive producer Television film 2007 Traveler Executive producer Side Order of Life Executive producer Movies Rock Executive producer Television special 2007−09 Pushing Daisies Executive producer 2011 83rd Academy Awards Television special 2012 8 Executive producer Television film 2017 When We Rise Executive producer

Miscellaneous crew

Year Title Role 1990 As the World Turns Technical director